Page:CAB Accident Report, American Airlines Flight 9.pdf/17

 He said, "I had to make a plan how my landing would be made. On previous flights I had been told by the tower that we should land at least 1,000 feet up on runway No. 1 because of the equipment, loose dirt spilled on the runway, and traffic equipment across this runway; also because of this information I had on previous flights I felt that I would land, or plan my landing rather, to strike runway No. 1 in the vicinity of the north and south taxi strip, which is, I would say, somewhere between 1,500 feet and 2,000 feet from the east end of the runway. Also, now that I have passed this south side of the field, I am flying away from the field and at an altitude of about 350 feet, because that was my minimum I felt I could fly safely around the circle. I had to use some means of not going out too far east, I only had one mile visibility, so my plan was, and which was followed, to use the south leg [of the St. Louis range] as a turning point to start my turn coming back towards the field. This turn was begun when we reached the twilight zone on the south leg, and continuing ... a very short distance ... to the west side of the range station. I know it was a very short distance because in the sweep of the turn I saw the range station and I had also at this point received the radio signal that the range station was there. After passing the range station it was next in order to line up or rather continue back to the field in a westerly direction. The range station being 2-¼ miles from the field, my visibility reported as one mile, could not leave me see the field from the range station, therefore I still